A House Divided Will Not Stand
by ilovetvalot
Summary: Can Derek forgive Aaron his deceit. Fifth in series. This Story follows "Fruit of the Forbidden Tree", "A Bumpy Road", "And A Little Child Shall Lead Them", and "Yes! We Actually Had Bananas". TWOSHOT!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note 1 - This story follows the ongoing saga of Derek and Hotch in an established relationship. It follows the stories, "Fruit of the Forbidden Tree", "A Bumpy Road", "And A Little Child Shall Lead Them", and "Yes! We Actually Had Bananas".**

* * *

**A House Divided Will Not Stand**

**Chapter One**

There weren't many things he'd ever dreaded so much as he did the next half hour of his life. Considering his career choice and personal life, that was saying a lot.

All day, he'd formulated his explanation in his mind, turning over every argument that could be made against him and his choice. It must have been the attorney in him...this need to form counterpoints to every quarrel that could be made against his decision.

Of course, it was a waste of time.

Derek Morgan wasn't a man that believed in fighting fair. He believed in fighting to win. And there was a huge difference between the two. Add in his lover's emotional response to today's news, and Aaron knew he had a volatile situation on his hands.

Letting himself into the house he'd unofficially shared with Derek for over a year, Aaron Hotchner spared a silent thank you to JJ for agreeing to babysit Jack tonight. Throwing his keys in the ceramic bowl Derek had helped Jack make him for his last Father's Day, he inhaled deeply before walking into the living room.

His eyes found the man he'd shared his home with easily, and his stomach twisted at the look blanketing the other man's face. Instead of being sprawled in his normal position one of the deep leather recliners, Derek sat stiffly on the couch, both feet on the ground, staring into space.

"Hey," Aaron remarked softly from the doorway, leaning one shoulder against the doorjamb as he waited for Derek to acknowledge his presence.

"Hey yourself," Derek replied hollowly, his gaze never wavering from where he stared at the darkened screen of the television set.

Walking across the room, Aaron sat in one of the two recliners, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees as he waited for Derek to speak...to say anything at all. After several moments of mute silence, Hotch said huskily, "Please say something, Derek."

Jaw tensing, Derek felt his body tighten. "You know, I don't think now is the time you wanna ask much of anything of me, Aaron."

"We need to talk about this," Hotch replied calmly.

"We needed to talk about this when it fucking happened, Hotch," Derek snarled, his anger vibrating in every word. "Don't you think it's a little late now?"

Breathing deeply, Hotch reminded himself that the other man was entitled to feel betrayed. They'd been sharing a home...a son...a life together. And he'd held back a part of himself. It was a blatant deception. One that he'd deemed necessary, but still a lie. Swallowing, he lifted his head from its bent position to really look at the man he'd fallen unexpectedly in love with. "Probably," he nodded. "But we still need to talk about it."

"Maybe I don't wanna talk now," Derek growled, his hand fisting on the arm of the couch. "Maybe I want to clam up and let you wonder what I'm thinking for a change."

"You really think that's productive?" Hotch asked gently.

"You really gonna sit there and judge me?" Derek snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously as he glared at the older man. "Maybe you'd better remember that right now, you aren't my superior, Aaron," he warned quietly. "I don't give a fuck about the pecking order right now."

"I understand, Derek," Hotch offered quietly. "Say what you need to say."

"You wanna hear it?" Derek retorted. "Fine! Right now, I need to say that if it wasn't for the fact that you and I have Jack to be concerned about, I'd be out of here."

Absorbing the painful statement Derek made, Hotch blinked. "If Jack is the only reason you're here, the relationship is doomed anyway, Derek," Hotch pointed out huskily, his heart twisting painfully in his chest. He and the handsome black man had overcome a rocky start together...one where he'd tried to deny the feelings he had for his teammate, relegating their relationship to friendship and sex. But after an explosive night three years ago, Derek had put his cards on the table, making him choose whether he was in or out of their relationship.

He'd chosen Derek, and together, he, Jack and the other man had carefully built a family together.

And now, it appeared that he might have destroyed not only his team, but his family, too.

Turning his head to stare at Aaron, the muscle in Derek's jaw flexed as he fought to control his temper. "Damn you," he finally muttered, swallowing hard. "Jack's not the only reason I'm still here," he confided reluctantly.

Relief hit Aaron squarely in his gut as he stared back at Derek. "I'm glad," Aaron offered, his voice raw and truthful. "Christ, I need a drink," he muttered, running a hand down his face as he rose from his chair and headed to the wet bar in the corner of the room.

"Pour me one, too," Derek said tonelessly, watching as his lover nodded tersely. "Thanks," he murmured when Aaron pressed a heavy half full tumbler into his hand on the way back to his chair. Taking a long sip of the amber liquid, Morgan grimaced as the liquor scorched the back of his throat. "I should have asked you to grab me a beer," he snorted.

"Sorry," Hotch mumbled into his own glance, praying the scotch in his glass would soothe his frayed nerves.

"Yeah," Derek snorted sarcastically, "THAT you're sorry for," he shook his head, staring into the etched glass.

"I'm sorry for a lot of things, Derek," Hotch replied softly, keeping his eyes on his own drink.

Licking his lips, Derek leaned his head back against the brown leather cough. "You betrayed us, Aaron. More importantly, you betrayed me."

"I was doing what I thought was best," Hotch defended himself.

"Who were you to decide that?" Derek snapped impatiently, his fingers tightening around the glass in his hand. "What gave you that right?"

"Being your Unit Chief gave me the right," Aaron said bluntly, aware as soon as the words came out that they were much harsher than he first intended.

"You aren't a Unit Chief when you crawl in bed with me at night," Derek reminded the stone faced man in front of him. Silent a moment, Derek shook his head in disgust. "You watched me grieve her, Aaron. You watched me fucking cry because I thought I should have done something more...you let me think that she was dead," he said bitterly.

"I did," Hotch agreed grimly, nodding once as he took another sip. "And I'm sorrier than hell for the way you suffered, Derek. But, I still believe I made the right call. My goal was to keep as much of the team intact and safe as I could."

And as hard as that thought was to handle, Aaron truly believed that his choice had been noble. But it was obvious by Derek's expression that he believed otherwise.

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_**Author's Note 2: Hello, Friends. A couple of announcements for all of you. First, you still have approximately SEVEN days to sign up for "The Masquerade Challenge" for October's on "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. We also have a "Freaky Friday" mini-challenge in progress for those interested. Details for both can be found at the forum. We'd love to have all of you sign up. I think we'll have a lot of fun this Halloween Season.**_

_**Second, you all have a little less more than three weeks left to nominate stories for the second Annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards. The nomination ballot, rules and category summaries can be found at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. To reach that post please either take a trip to the forum OR links are provided on the profile pages of ilovetvalot, Profiler's Choice CM Awards AND tonnie2001969. Nomination ballots should be PM'd to the Profiler's Choice CM Awards ONLY. That link is also provided on the forum or the profile pages listed above. PLEASE REMEMBER, WITHOUT NOMINATED STORIES, THERE CAN BE NO AWARDS! SO, PLEASE, COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE FANFIC AUTHORS AND NOMINATE THOSE STORIES. **_

_**ALSO, we would love for our fellow author's to assist us in advertising these awards! Please feel free to copy and paste anything in this author's note or contact us for a pre-written blurb if you like.**_

_**And, please, everyone, feel free to join us over on Facebook! Simply search for "Ilovetvalot Fanfiction" and friend me. We have scores of authors connected together and we'd love to see you there! **_

_**As ever, we appreciate every single one of you that takes the time to read and/or review our stories. Your valuable feedback is deeply appreciated and we love hearing from you!**_

_**And, if we haven't stated it before, we do not own Criminal Minds, but darn, we wish we did!**_

_*******_** SPECIAL NOTE: For whatever reason, disabled the Profiler's Choice Awards PM system. That means all attempts to submit ballots failed from September 11 - 16. Could you all please help spread the word that anyone who tried to submit a ballot during this period listed above should RESEND their submissions. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We really need help reaching all the different ships out there though. So, PLEASE, those willing to help, let me know if you can include this as part of your author's notes to readers.*****


	2. Chapter 2

_**/***NOMINATE, NOMINATE, NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE STORIES AND AUTHORS IN THE SECOND ANNUAL PROFILER'S CHOICE CM AWARDS HOSTED BY CHIT CHAT ON AUTHOR'S CORNER FORUM! DON'T KNOW HOW? SEE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER!***/**_

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**A House Divided Will Not Stand**

**Chapter Two**

"Don't you dare pull that noble assed bullshit," Derek replied. "I always knew you were a secretive bastard, but I thought we'd gotten past the point where you kept secrets from me!" he barked.

"And was I the only one keeping secrets, Derek?" Hotch asked slowly, his eyes boring into Morgan's. "Or are you going to pretend that you haven't been investigating Ian Doyle behind my back in direct violation of the orders I'd given."

Lifting his chin defiantly, Morgan shrugged. "I was hunting a killer...a man I thought had murdered my partner. Maybe if you'd been honest, I would have been, too. But, you're right. I was keeping it from you. But I won't sit here and lie and tell you I was doing it for any kind of noble reason. I wanted revenge, plain and simple. I wanted justice."

"What you did was blow Emily's cover, Derek," Hotch informed the other man sternly.

"Like I said, Aaron, if I'd known there was a cover to blow, I would have been more careful," Derek replied, his tone crisp as the two men faced off with each other. "Do you actually expect me to apologize for trying to catch her supposed killer?"

"No." Hotch shook his head, well aware of the fact that he wouldn't have expected otherwise.. "I don't."

"Good," Morgan snorted as he nodded. "Because you won't every hear one," he ground out, belting back another shot of the bitter alcohol in his hand.

Blowing out a long breath as he attempted to control the rising anger that wanted to overtake his very thoughts, Hotch stared gravely at his lover. "Look, Derek," he began carefully, "the bottom line is that Doyle now knows that she's back in play. He'll be coming."

"Let 'im come," Derek smiled coldly. "It's time to end this shit once and for all."

"You're right," Hotch agreed, taking a sip from his own glass. "It is. But in order to do that, we all need to be on the same page."

"What are you trying to say, Aaron?" Derek asked deeply, his eyes narrowing as he stared at his lover.

"I'm saying that a house divided will not stand. Emily's return has fragmented the team. We all need..."

Holding up a finger, Derek shook his head as he leaned forward and dropped his glass on the glass topped coffee table in front of him. "You divided that house, Aaron. Your lies and secrecy have taken the team...and us...right here," he said, tapping the table for emphasis. "If it crumbles around you, that's on you. No one else."

"You don't think I realize that?" Hotch whispered, his pained eyes meeting Derek's.

Hell, Derek thought with a groan, he hated that look. That look that said more than one of Aaron's explanations ever could. "For what it's worth, I'll stand with you," Derek offered solemnly. "Not because I think what you did was right," he said quickly when he saw Aaron's mouth open, "But, because I love you. But uniting the team?" he queried, grimacing. "I don't know if that can be done. None of us that were left out of the loop can understand how you and JJ could allow us to go through that."

"That's why I need you to forgive me, Derek," Hotch said, his words stark as he let the emotion finally bleed through. "If you can do it, then, there's a chance I can get through to the others."

"The others aren't in love with you, Aaron," Derek replied, letting out a deep sigh as he slowly relaxed his shoulders. "And as for me, I can forgive the man I love, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust my Unit Chief again. Do you see the difference, man?"

Unfortunately, he did. Closing his eyes, he whispered, "I don't know what to do, Derek. I can't tell the team I'm sorry for doing something I believed was right. And I can't stop the fight that's coming to our door."

Staring at the torn man in front of him, Derek reached out an arm and snagged Hotch's hand. Pulling the older man out of his chair toward him, Derek murmured, "C'mere."

Collapsing on the cushion beside Morgan, Aaron felt the younger man slide an arm around him, pulling him against his side. "We'll figure it out, Aaron. I'll talk to them. Garcia, I know I can get through to. Rossi will listen to you. And, together, we can tackle Reid."

"Jesus, Derek, did you see the look in Spencer's eyes today? It was like I'd killed something inside him," Aaron whispered roughly at the memory of Reid's horrified gaze when he'd put all the pieces together. "And what the hell have I done to us?"

Pressing his lips together as he heard the raw fear behind Aaron's words, Morgan rested a hand against the back of his partner's neck. "Hey," he chided, "You and I will get through it. I hate that you lied to me, but a part of me understands the awkward position you were in."

"Derek, I wanted to tell you," Hotch replied, turning to look at the grim faced man beside him. "You don't know how many times I started to tell you the truth...but, it wasn't what Emily wanted. It wasn't safe for any of you."

"Aaron," Derek said, his voice gentle against Hotch's ear as Hotch tightened his grip on the younger man's skin, "has it ever occurred to you that it isn't up to you to take the weight of the world on your shoulders? I wish you'd learn the fine art of sharing the burden with somebody."

"I just wanted to protect everyone," Hotch returned, sighing deeply as he let Derek pull him closer. "But, I knew deep down when the truth came out, people would get hurt. I was just praying everybody would still be alive."

"Well, everybody is still alive," Derek reminded Aaron softly, stretching his legs out to rest against the nearby coffee table. "Don't get me wrong, Aaron. I'm still pissed, but I'll get past it. We'll move past it," he assured the tense man beside him. "Together."

"You're sure about that?" Hotch asked warily, staring into the darkened eyes of his lover.

"I didn't put in three years with you just to up and walk away, no matter what I might have said in the heat of anger. You and Jack are my family, Aaron," Derek said firmly.

"Really?" Hotch replied, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"Some things are worth fighting for," Derek said, a note of finality in his voice that Aaron didn't dare breach.

And settling back against the cushions with the younger man, Aaron directed his thoughts toward the next task at hand.

How did you heal a fractured family?

_**Finis**_

* * *

_**Author's Note: Hello, Friends. A couple of announcements for all of you. First, you still have approximately FIVE days to sign up for "The Masquerade Challenge" for October's on "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. We also have a "Freaky Friday" mini-challenge in progress for those interested. Details for both can be found at the forum. We'd love to have all of you sign up. I think we'll have a lot of fun this Halloween Season.**_

_**Second, you all have a little less more than three weeks left to nominate stories for the second Annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards. The nomination ballot, rules and category summaries can be found at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. To reach that post please either take a trip to the forum OR links are provided on the profile pages of ilovetvalot, Profiler's Choice CM Awards AND tonnie2001969. Nomination ballots should be PM'd to the Profiler's Choice CM Awards ONLY. That link is also provided on the forum or the profile pages listed above. PLEASE REMEMBER, WITHOUT NOMINATED STORIES, THERE CAN BE NO AWARDS! SO, PLEASE, COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE FANFIC AUTHORS AND NOMINATE THOSE STORIES. **_

_**ALSO, we would love for our fellow author's to assist us in advertising these awards! Please feel free to copy and paste anything in this author's note or contact us for a pre-written blurb if you like.**_

_**And, please, everyone, feel free to join us over on Facebook! Simply search for "Ilovetvalot Fanfiction" and friend me. We have scores of authors connected together and we'd love to see you there! **_

_**As ever, we appreciate every single one of you that takes the time to read and/or review our stories. Your valuable feedback is deeply appreciated and we love hearing from you!**_

_**And, if we haven't stated it before, we do not own Criminal Minds, but darn, we wish we did!**_

_*******_** SPECIAL NOTE: For whatever reason, disabled the Profiler's Choice Awards PM system. That means all attempts to submit ballots failed from September 11 - 16. Could you all please help spread the word that anyone who tried to submit a ballot during this period listed above should RESEND their submissions. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We really need help reaching all the different ships out there though. So, PLEASE, those willing to help, let me know if you can include this as part of your author's notes to readers.*****


End file.
